EDITORIAL: Man marries dog!

If there was ever any question as to why marriage must be defined as holy matrimony between one man and one woman, then a recent wedding in India should remove all doubt.

According to the Associated Press, a man in southern India has married a female dog in an attempt to atone for killing two canines. A newspaper showed a picture of the man sitting next to the dog, which was wearing an orange sari and a flower garland. A banquet followed the ceremony for the groom and his family while the dog ate a bun. Apparently, the practice is not all that uncommon in rural India, where people are known for marrying dogs.

If it can happen there, it can happen here. In America, so much of the marriage debate has focused on same-sex marriage. If marriage is not defined as being between one man and one woman, then what should keep a man from marrying his dog! If it sounds ridiculous, it is! The sanctity of marriage is not only being violated and attacked by the homosexual community, marriage is literally going to the dogs!

According to the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission, we need only look to European nations that have legalized same-sex marriage to realize the expansion of marriage devalues the institution altogether. In these countries, heterosexual couples are increasingly choosing to cohabitate rather than marry. Out-of-wedlock births are also escalating. In Denmark and some regions of Norway, rates of out of wedlock births for first-borns have risen to 60 percent and 80 percent, respectively.

Any legalization of any form of marriage other than between one man and one woman will only lead to the further destruction of our great country. Southern Baptists must stand strong on their belief that God has ordained the family as the foundational institution of human society and that marriage is the uniting of one man and one woman in a covenant commitment for a lifetime.

With an election year on the horizon, Oklahoma Baptists would do well to give serious consideration as to where candidates stand on these issues. It is not enough to say, “Not in my lifetime.” The truth is that it is already happening. The question is whether we will do anything to stop it from happening in our own backyard!

While it may sound far-fetched, and, in this case, fetched may very well be the operable word, we can not allow ourselves to be pressured into believing we are intolerant because we strive to live according to God’s Word. Tolerating sin is never acceptable under any circumstances. Sin is sin. Dressing up our sin behind the veil of personal preference, orientation or desire makes it no less of a sin in the eyes of God. Sin is a choice. We are all sinners. Whether we continue in sin or repent from it will determine whether we are in or out of God’s will. It is God’s will for marriage to be defined as holy matrimony between one man and one woman. Nothing else will do.

If you believe that marriage should be restricted to the union of one man and one woman, now is the time to write letters, send e-mails or make phone calls to the President, your Senators and your Representatives reminding them how you believe and vote regarding these issues.

Translator

Messenger Staff

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